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Here is my 4th and final blog post for my “One Image a Day in March Challenge!”

Some days I didn’t make anything worth sharing and some days I had a hard time narrowing it down, I even skipped a day or two.. But all in all it was a great reminder that I need to keep documenting my family regularly. It brings me so much joy!

I love looking at my family and my life one step removed – through the lens. It helps me to appreciate everyone and all the small moments we share. Sometimes I go through cycles where I spend too much of my life behind the camera (and computer) and I need to come back to living, but usually it helps me to be more present.

While doing this, I’ve also noticed a desire to get more creative with my business portraiture as well – which has been fun.

It was definitely a great experience and stretching those muscles was very needed. Thanks for tuning in! My family and I have a surprise brewing so keep an eye out!

A big black truck pulls up into the park and out hops a momma and her two kids – Kari, Shelby, and Jacob. Jacob cautiously approaches the rest of us with a coy slight smile that tells me he’s interested but we’re going to have to work for it!

And work for it, we did! While I was photographing sweet Shelby, Erin (my business partner, laugh specialist, child herder, marketing guru, sister, pack mule extraordinaire) was scheming with Jacob behind a tree..

With Kari and Shelby lying down, Jacob would run from behind the tree and jump on (body-slam) them. Just like his favorite wrestlers do! By the end we got lots of really fun images, and mom and sister were only a little sore. 😉

Kari said her face hurt from all of the laughing and that she was so glad to get some high-end images of her family. I hear about it all too often, how Mom is never in any of the pictures! We got some really sweet moments captured, that really showcases the kindness that Kari has for her “babies.”

Being one of six kids, I love photographing big families! So when Kristin told me that she was looking for a family portrait with her husband and six kids, I immediately got excited!

After filling up half of the parking lot with all of our vehicles and lots of hand shaking, I was struck by the pleasant, gentle demeanor of everybody in this family!

In between playful joking and soft giggles you could since a very deep closeness between them. They all naturally formed in close clusters with their arms hugging around each other, even if it was to see who was taller! The process was very peaceful and sweet.

Their grandparents were the troublemakers of the group! 😉 Encouraging them to climb bridges and trees, with Kristin and Joe looking on with warm smiles. Grandma was definitely an instigator, and it made for some interesting photographs!

We had a great time, and they made my job so pleasant and fun. Can’t wait to watch this family grow!

Last month I had the pleasure of meeting and photographing the Loeschers. They were interested in family portraits to celebrate this monumental time for their family. Talk about a big year!

After multiple treatments, Frank finally beat the cancer that he had been fighting. He continues to be an advocate for other people suffering from this specific cancer found in Vietnam veterans due to Agent Orange. The way he looks at his family, you can feel his love for them. You can see that he was faced with the fear of losing them too soon, and that they are his pride and joy. Even though he’d been dealing with this very serious stress, he was hilarious and a blast to work with. A lot of those big smiles you will see below were caused by him.

Along with Frank, Claire was another comedic relief in the family. Her quick wit and willingness to play and laugh at herself made the process super fun. She is about to graduate from high school and preparing to move away for college to continue her pursuit in screenwriting. Along with screenwriting, she plays the clarinet and ukulele!

Kristie, a professor at UT, is clearly the rock of the family. Her strength appears to hold this family together. She works full time with hundreds of college students, volunteers at the local theater, makes time for Claire’s band performances, and I’m sure much more that we didn’t get to talk about! When she speaks about all of these things her face lights up, and you can tell that she really enjoys life.

The love that this family has for each other is apparent. And I love the idea of family portraits as a celebration of life, because that is exactly what it is about! Thank you so much for allowing me into your lives, Kristie, Frank, and Claire!